This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. To order presentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distribution to colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire about permissions/licensing, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com

Season's first villain also gets the first impression rose on Bachelor premiere

Chelsea races to top of list as Arie Luyendyk Jr. pulls an all-nighter and cuts 29 suitors to 21.

Chelsea, centre, got super annoyed when Maquel interrupted her time with Bachelor Arie Luyendyk Jr. then turned around and did the same thing to contestant Krystal in the season premiere. (PAUL HEBERT / ABC)

Last season’s Bachelor premiere featured a woman dressed as a shark; this season’s had women behaving like them.

The 29 ladies competing for Arie Luyendyk Jr. on Night 1 went into a feeding frenzy of sorts when the first impression rose made its appearance, but the biggest teeth belonged to the season’s first villain: Chelsea, a real estate executive assistant from Portland, Maine.

And in this case, bad behaviour was its own reward. For committing the “sin” of double dipping on the Bachelor’s time Chelsea got the first smooch of the season (yeah, he kissed Brittany T. first, but that was a peck compared to what he gave Chelsea) and the first impression rose.

My first impression? Chelsea is very determined to find a daddy for her son Sammy and doesn’t care whose toes she crushes in her stilettos en route to that goal.

We’ve already been treated to a promo clip of her declaring, “I’m not a bitch, I’m a mother.” In Chelsea’s view, single mothers are entitled to more time with the Bachelor than the other contestants. The show is called The Bachelor, not The Stepfather, so I can’t see that argument holding water with the other women. But seeing how Arie devoured Chelsea with his eyes when she stepped out of the limo, I doubt he’ll give a crap what the other women think.

Article Continued Below

If you’re not up on your franchise history, this is Arie’s second attempt to find love on TV. We were treated to an extended look at how Arie got his heart crushed by former Bachelorette Emily Maynard. So why is he back to try again? Besides the fact he gets to do the choosing this time around, it seems the real estate agent and race car driver can only fall in love on TV. Arie told Bachelor poster boy Sean Lowe — who appeared for a pep talk with wife Catherine and son Samuel — “I haven’t had the same feeling as I did when I was with Emily” in post-Bachelorette relationships.

By the end of the all-night cocktail party Arie had narrowed his choices down to 21. Read on for my thoughts on who stood out.

Bekah: Much has already been made of the fact this nanny who climbs rocks in her spare time is 22 to Arie’s 36 but, you know, whatever. She’s cute, she seems smart, she drove up in a 1965 Mustang convertible and Arie seemed into her. But we know her age will become an issue later in the season.

Krystal: Speaking of Bekah, it looks like she and Krystal, a 29-year-old online health and fitness coach, will butt heads later. Krystal’s package was all about her helping clients reach their potential and feeding homeless people, but it seems there’s a villain lurking behind her big smile.

Maquel: The wedding photographer is just 23 and apparently was crushing on Arie while watching him as an 18-year-old on The Bachelorette. She upstaged Bekah by arriving in a race car — although she wasn’t the one driving it — then interrupted Chelsea during her first go-round with Arie, which Chelsea would not stop complaining about. So clearly Chelsea isn’t the only aggressive one in the house.

Becca: Speaking of aggressive, this 27-year-old publicist made Arie get down on one knee and do a mock proposal right out of the limo, but he was charmed rather than cheesed off.

Kendall: This 26-year-old seems kind of sweet, but she collects stuffed animals — no, not toys, dead stuffed animals as in taxidermy — and she spent her alone time with Arie playing a ukulele and singing a song, something about him being the fish for her. Given her predilection for dead things, I’m not sure I’d want to be her fish.

Annaliese: The 32-year-old event designer showed up with a mask and a bag with lips on it to play on Arie’s nickname of the “Kissing Bandit.” But then she didn’t actually kiss him, which seemed weird, especially since she told Arie that passion was important to her and had been missing from her last relationship. Hint, hint.

Brittany T: The tech recruiter, who’s 30, declared herself “crazy attracted” to Arie, which seemed to be a theme. He even got called a stud a couple of times. She bet Arie a kiss she could beat him in a race with miniature cars. She didn’t come close, but Arie kissed her anyway. “His lips are like clouds, they’re like pillows,” Brittany enthused. “It was such a great kiss. He lives up to his name, the Kissing Bandit.” Good to know.

Tia: This physical therapist’s main claim to fame is being pals with former Bachelor and Bachelor in Paradise favourite Raven Gates. That and the fact the 26-year-old gave Arie a plastic wiener since she’s from Weiner, Arkansas, with the words, “Please tell me you don’t already have a little wiener.” Arie wisely sidestepped the entendre, but he said he appreciated Tia’s sense of humour. We’ll see if that translates into her being friend-zoned.

Jenna: The social media manager, who’s 28, told Arie she was looking for a strong, handsome man to take over the world with her. She also gave Arie a foot massage later, which left him confused: “Does she do social media? Does she own a pedicure shop?”

Among the eight women in total he sent home was sole Canadian contestant Jessica, a 26-year-old TV host from Calgary. Was it the fact she gave him a rock? It was a “gratitude rock,” but still. Or was it the fact she told Arie her dead father had met him once and thus already “approved” of him? We’ll probably never know, but Jessica was quite upset her father would now never meet her future husband, which struck me as sad and creepy at the same time.

The Toronto Star and thestar.com, each property of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, One Yonge Street, 4th Floor, Toronto, ON, M5E 1E6. You can unsubscribe at any time. Please contact us or see our privacy policy for more information.

More from the Toronto Star & Partners

LOADING

Copyright owned or licensed by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or distribution of this content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited and/or its licensors. To order copies of Toronto Star articles, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com